The present invention relates to games of the type in which playing pieces are caused to be slid on a playing surface. The game comprising the present invention is an air cushioned device which includes relatively imperforate scoring areas disposed at the respective ends thereof and separated by a perforated air bed through which an air flow is forced.
The prior art has considered air cushioned table games in which a perforated playing surface includes manifold means on the underside thereof through which air is supplied to such playing surface. In this manner a game piece may be made to float over the air bed so as to minimize frictional contact therewith which can greatly reduce the force required to move the game piece.
A shortcoming of prior art games is the fact that the entire playing surface comprises an air bed on which the game piece rapidly moves but with which the player soon becomes accustomed so that the game soon provides less challenge to the player. In this regard, the present invention is directed to a game in which the players will not readily adapt to merely a familiar game at higher speed but will be challenged by the varying speeds and directions in which the game piece travels over the playing surface. Although the prior art has considered substantially uniform and continuous air bed game surfaces providing varying air-cushioned support to a game piece and correspondingly varying speeds thereto over such playing surface, these structures have necessitated complex means such as variable air valves and ducting to vary air pressure in various selected portions of the playing surface. In contrast the present invention provides varying speeds and directions to a game piece without such complex air pressure control means.